Can an Urban Farm Run by Police Create Jobs, Feed People, and Build Trust?

The nonprofit Africa Research Association Managing Development teaches communities in Obanliku, Nigeria, to run their own businesses in things like gardening, soap making, and marketing, and helps establish cocoa cooperatives to keep them from depending on deforestation for income. The program also requires communities to designate parts of the forest for conservation and trains members to protect those areas.

Detroit's RecoveryPark, an urban farming organization, creates agricultural jobs for those who have faced barriers to employment. RecoveryPark acquired 105 acres of underutilized or foreclosed land from the Detroit Land Bank to transform into farm land, including a hydroponic green house.

Ruthie's Café in South Dallas operates a second-chance employment program that provides jobs and support to individuals with criminal records and those experiencing homelessness. The program hires people often rejected by traditional employers and wraps employment with holistic services, including case management, housing assistance, and transportation support. Currently, 95% of Ruthie's staff are second-chance employees.

Communities in the Sundarbans have adopted shrimp farming as a sustainable livelihood strategy; the approach has proven successful, with environmental benefits and many farmers earning a good income.

The Philadelphia-based company Solar States offers a paid training opportunity for city residents to learn to install solar panels and earn the necessary credentials to help them start careers in the industry. The company’s newest program, Find Your Ladder, is a training opportunity for people who have been through the criminal justice system.

People across Argentina are earning an income during a severe economic crisis by joining recycling cooperatives. Members collect recyclables off the street and are paid by the co-ops by material and weight.

Communities in Ecuador are building a “bioeconomy” through ecotourism and sustainable agriculture instead of relying on oil extraction. This can help protect the country’s biodiversity and increase locals’ incomes.

Chanja Datti, a social enterprise in Nigeria, turns recyclables into commercially viable products to sell for manufacturing, like pellets and bales. The company collects waste from various organizations and pays locals who collect trash and turn it in.

Alongside clean energy, wind farms built on property leased from locals in Nebraska are generating jobs, income, and local taxes that keep small towns like Petersburg afloat.

It can be difficult to find and afford farmland in the United States, so a web tool called Georgia FarmLink connects disadvantaged farmers to landowners and resources for help with legal and business advice.